DVD Tuesday with Scotty G

It’s not a great week for new releases on DVD. You get some B movies, and re-release of an 80’s classic, and a cult TV show arrives on DVD.


Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li – Not much needs to be said about this one. The Street Fighter franchise is nowhere near as big as it once was, so it surprised me when a film version was green lit. Starring Kristin Kreuk and Michael Clarke Duncan, the film is what it is. It was a disappointment at the box office [and to be honest I’m surprised it got a box office release], and hopes to find a following on DVD. Street Fight: The Legend Of Chun-Li continues the rule that video games make bad movies.


12 Rounds – WWE star John Cena stars in this Renny Harlin directed film. I’ll be honest, I actually want to check this movie out. I wasn’t going to see it in theatres, but it looks like it could be a good time-waster. The basic plot is Cena is a cop, and a villain that he captured before escapes from prison. The bad guy kidnaps his wife, and it’s up to Cena to play his game to get his wife back. Based on the trailer, it reminds me a little of Die Hard With A Vengeance, which is a little funny to me, because Renny Harlin directed Die Hard 2: Die Harder, so he knows how to do a great action movie.


Two Lovers – This film did not get a big release, and is probably best known as the last film Joaquin Phoenix made before he quit acting. This was the film that Phoenix was promoting when he made his famous appearance on Letterman. It’s an adult drama that stars Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw, and deals with Phoenix having an affair and the consequences that causes. Despite not getting a very big release, Two Lovers was a big hit with critics, as it currently has a rating of 84% at Rotten Tomatoes.


Eastbound and Down – Danny McBride stars in this HBO series of a baseball player who alienates everyone in the major leagues, and ends up going back to his high school to be a phys-ed teacher. There is some great talent behind the scenes with Will Ferrell, Jody Hill, and Adam McKay, but like most things that Jody Hill works on, this is not a series for everybody. Danny McBride’s character is dark, mean, and you almost feel guilty laughing at the things he does. It’s not a show for everyone, but for fans of any of the people listed above, this six episode season is worth checking out.


Do The Right Thing: 20th Anniversary Edition – I did not see this film until almost 10 years after it was released, and it really is fantastic. I still think it is Spike Lee’s best film, and it revolves around the lives of people at a pizza shop on the hottest day of the summer of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood. All different races come and go from the pizza shop, and you care about every single one of them on the screen. The music is great [Public Enemy’s "Fight The Power" is the main theme of this movie], the lighting and cinematography is unreal, as it looks so hot on the screen, that you want to have a shower by the end of it, and the ending is one of the most polarizing in all of film. Love or hate this film, it is definitely worth seeing. Check out Do The Right Thing!

Ian Rogers Reviews: Johnny Gruesome by Gregory Lamberson

Johnny Gruesome, by Gregory Lamberson, is the muscle car of horror novels. A hot-rod gorefest of rapidly-building suspense and high-adrenaline violence.

Johnny Grissom is a hot-headed teen who dies in what the people of his small town believe is an accident. But it was no accident, and Johnny isn't going to take his death lying down. Grissom comes back from the dead as Gruesome and begins a spree of violent retribution against those who wronged him in life. And Johnny has a very long shit list.

Lamberson doesn't pull any punches in this brutally powerfully ode to the classic E.C. horror comics of the 1950s. Most writers of gore tend to overdo it to the point where the descriptions become boring and facile. Not so in Lamberson's case. The writing is taut and balanced with just the right amount of grisly vivid detail.

Johnny Gruesome runs so hot and fast you should probably put on a seatbelt before opening this book. Not that it's going to help you.

Scotty G’s Box Office Wrap Up Report

Wow – I finally had a stellar weekend. I correctly picked all top 5 films in order, and I was only off a combined $6.1 million, and two films I correctly predicted the exact total. To me, that’s like winning The Price Is Right’s Showcase Showdown! It’s freakin’ ridiculous. I will say it was more luck then anything, but I’m still happy.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen had a very strong weekend. Very strong. It opened at #1, and its Friday-Sunday gross was $112 million [I predicted $115 million], and its per theatre average was a ridiculous $26,453. It gets even bigger. If you take into account the Wednesday and Thursday numbers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has grossed $201.2 million dollars, and that makes it the third highest grossing film of 2009 in only 5 days. The big questions for this film is whether or not it will have a strong hold. Reviews have not been kind, so we’ll see how much repeat business we will have. Now that kids are out of school, they will be wanting their parents to take them to see this film over and over again.

***Note – Final box office #’s come out on Monday, so don’t be surprised is Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen reports less than $112 million when the final #’s come in.

The Proposal held up well in its second weekend, dropping a respectable 45% for a gross of $18.4 million [I predicted it would open hit that exact same number] to finish in the #2 spot. The date film is appealing to its target audience, and the film will finish with over $100 million at the box office, which I doubt many people thought would happen. Its total gross stands at $69 million.

The Hangover continues to roll along, dropping 35.7% from last weekend for a total of $17.2 million [I predicted $18.1 million] to put it at #3in the box office. The comedy smash of ’09 continues to have amazing holds from weekend to weekend, and its current total at the box office is $183 million. It should cross the $200 million mark over the next 7 days, becoming the 4th film of 2009 to do so. It should have another weekend of smooth sailing coming up, as no major comedy is being released, but will face some competition in the form of Bruno when that opens on July 10th.

The newly crowned highest grossing film of 2009 is the #4 movie in the land this weekend. Up became the highest grossing film of ’09, with a weekend gross of $15.2 million [I predicted it would gross $13 million], which was a 44.5% drop from last weekend. Its total gross stands at $250.2 million, which beat former champ Star Trek, which currently has $246 million. Up will not be able to claim this for long as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will become the highest grossing film of 2009 in the coming days. Still, Disney/Pixar must be very pleased with how Up has performed.

Rounding out the Top 5 was My Sister’s Keeper with an opening weekend of $12 million [I predicted the exact number]. Unfortunately, it does not have a strong per theatre average, as that was only $4,616, so do not expect it to hang out in theatres very long.

Other notes:

Away We Go cracked the Top 10, by being the #10 movie in the land.
The Hurt Locker opened in limited release in 4 theatres and had the highest weekend per theatre average of $36,000. The film expands into wider release in a few weeks.

So to recap, here are my predictions:

1) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - $115 million
2) The Proposal - $18.4 million
3) The Hangover - $18.1 million
4) Up - $15.2 million
5) My Sister’s Keeper - $12 million

And here are the actual #’s

1) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - $112 million
2) The Proposal - $18.4 million
3) The Hangover - $17.2 million
4) Up - $13 million
5) My Sister’s Keeper - $12 million

This week brings us Public Enemies, and Ice Age 3D: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Check back on Friday to see my weekend predictions for those films.

Tales from the Long Box Vol. 2 # 3: Japer Revisits Action Comics Weekly # 601

Every weekend this summer, we’ll be bringing you a new installment of a 12-part series of reviews of meaningful comics found in the collections of our writers. “Long Box” refers to the lengthy, white cardboard boxes most comics find themselves stored within - bagged, alphabetized and numerically ordered.

These reviews, then, are the tales of those collections: illuminating characters, artists, writers - even eras - in addition to the personalities of the very owners of those fine collections.

Action Comics Weekly # 601
Writers: Various
Artists: Various
DC Comics


Think back to when you were young.

Remember when the Saturday edition of the newspaper used to arrive early in the morning and you’d quickly scan through it, tossing aside the business and political insight sections and excitedly pulling out the comics insert?

I do.

My parents subscribed to the Saturday edition of the Toronto Star and that was the first thing I did each morning before running to the television to watch my cartoons: flipping pages and reading my favourite comics, getting my finger tips covered with black ink, while eating my breakfast bowl of Cheerios or Fruit Loops or Shreddies. My favourites were The Far Side, Herman, Calvin and Hobbes, as well as the ongoing adventure stories of Spider-Man, which was only published in colour on Saturday.

I remember that extreme sense of Saturday-morning childhood anticipation like it was yesterday. The newspaper comics don’t hold my attention any more, but the continuing, serialized form of comic book storytelling, does. The style is a throwback to those black and white pulp films or radio shows of my father’s generation, where every episode of The Shadow or Doc Savage was a cliffhanger and audiences had to tune in the following week to find out what happened to their favourite heroes.

Over the last few years, DC Comics has aggressively returned to the weekly serialized format. They’ve published the critically acclaimed 52 series, a title that ran every week over the course of an entire year, showcasing a set of B-list characters, each finding their own voice and, more importantly, their own audience over that span of time. Directly following 52 was Countdown, also a weekly, year-long series. DC proved that there were comic collectors interested in the format so long as solid storytelling and consistently good art could be maintained over the frantic pace of a weekly series.

Before 52 or Countdown found acclaim, however, DC toyed with the format in their flagship title, Action Comics.

After a company-wide crossover story that reinvigorated the heroes of the DC Universe, including Superman, DC renamed their flagship to Action Comics Weekly with issue #601, published in 1988 which ran double-sized at 48 pages. The series would still boast a Superman story but would also contain tales featuring a host of lesser known or struggling characters in an effort to drum up public interest. Each character would have a limited run, replaced with other heroes once their story ran its course. The first issue contained the characters of Blackhawk, Deadman, Wild Dog, The Secret Six and even Green Lantern, whose series had just been cancelled, all featured in 8-page long segments.

There was something here for every comic fan.

Green Lantern, written by comic book hall-of-famer James Owsley and drawn by the legendary Gil Kane, picked up right where the character’s series had ended, only now, in the first chapter of the serial, the exploits of DC’s favourite science fiction space-cop was narrated by his ex-lover, now turned adversary, Carol Ferris, the Star Sapphire. The story traveled from deep space to planet Earth, the first chapter ending with the mutilation and murder of ex-Green Lantern Corps member, Katma, who also happened to be Green Lantern John Stewart’s wife, at the hands of the evil narrator. Quite the cliff-hanger.

Wild Dog, created and written by mystery novelist Max Collins and artist Terry Beatty, made his first appearance in a four-issue mini-series a few years earlier. His emergence in Action Comics Weekly was a way to drum up interest in the hopes of publishing another mini or even an ongoing series. Part of the appeal of the character during his first outing was the mystery surrounding who Wild Dog actually was, which was eventually revealed in the final issue. Unfortunately, that mysterious lure was gone and Wild Dog simply became a man with a gun out to take on and kill criminals with constant special effect gunplay sounds of “Budda! Budda!! Budda!!!” Not very interesting, the character faded into obscurity.

The Secret Six series within Action Comics Weekly reformed the team originally created in 1968. Veteran writer Martin Pasko and realist artist Dan Spiegel reinvigorated the team for the late 20th century, imbibing the six “agents” with specialized talents in combat, intelligence and espionage. The lure of the series was once again the mysterious Mockingbird, a hooded figure that guided the team from mission to mission. The Secret Six would have two distinct storylines in the anthology and last year, DC Comics revived the title, giving them their own monthly series which has been praised by critics and fans alike.

Deadman, always a character on the outskirts of the DC Universe, found a regular feature home in the weekly anthology. Written by Mike Baron and drawn by long standing DC Comics illustrator Dan Jurgens, the ghost who could posses the bodies of other people took up where his 1986 mini series left off. Fans clamored for more and eventually Baron would write a number of prestige-format mini series featuring the titular character, all drawn to disturbing, decomposing effect by Kelley Jones. Fans loved the new look.

Blackhawk told the period tale of the post World War II fighting pilot ace, once again under the pen of Martin Pasko and joined by the artistic design work of Rick Burchett. Blackhawk gave the Action Comics Weekly title an entirely different feel: globe-trotting high adventure in the late 1940’s, ensuring the parent series contained stories of a different nature, look and feel. Blackhawk would successfully inherit his own monthly series.

Other characters would join the line-up as storylines concluded. Black Canary would find a home in Action Comics Weekly as would the Phantom Stranger, Captain Marvel, Catwoman and Speedy. Only a fleeting few titles were successful, however, and the flagship would return to Superman-centric stories under its old title of Action Comics within a year. Still, it proved to be an interesting way for DC Comics to “try out” new characters and gauge audience reaction.

This July 1st, DC will make another attempt at a weekly installment series featuring different characters. Wednesday Comics will be stylized like those Saturday morning newspaper pull-out section comics of our childhood and feature, over twelve issues, the legendary characters of Superman, Green Lantern and Hawkman. Once again, the stories of these heroes are mixed with “b” and “c” listers such as Kamandi and Metamorpho.

It’ll be exciting to pull the newspaper-sized Wednesday Comics off of the shelf and flip though the pages of favourite and emerging heroes. It’ll be just like when I was a kid.

Instead of Saturday, I’ll just have to save my Cheerios for Wednesday mornings now.

Trailer Time: 2012

As an avowed fan of apocalyptic films, I have to admit that the trailer for 2012, the new cinematic opus from Roland Emmerich, gave me a few chills. If you're familiar with the significance of the date, 2012 is the end of the Mayan calendar and is suspected by many to be the end of the world.

Personally, I thought it was the end of the world seeing John Cusack in the trailer for a big budget blockbuster. Having spent the last few years in smaller, subtler films, it will be interesting to see how he stands out in 2012. Director Emmerich, the man behind Independance Day and The Day The Earth Stood Still, isn't one to coax strong performances out of his leads, but it's rare that he's worked with a talent at solid as Cusack.

2012 looks to be mining some of the same territory that Alex Proyas' Knowing worked with earlier this year, minus the aliens and Nicolas Cage. Check out the trailer below. The movie hits theaters in November.

Biff Bam Pop! Remembers Michael Jackson

No matter what you listen to these days, there's no doubt that we all listened to Michael Jackson at some point in our lives. In memory of the man's music, the writer's of Biff Bam Pop! share their favourite Michael Jackson tunes.

Ogmios on Thriller:


I'm not entirely sure if my love for "Thriller" came from a love for the music or a love of John Landis's landmark video. "Thriller" turned the world on its head when it came to video as an art form. It was dark; it was bleak; it was funky. Zombies danced in tandem, and a horror film became both safe and acceptable for public consumption. Even as a child I recognized its difference, its strangeness : revelation revealed in a pair of haunted, diseased, yellow eyes. Jacko was on to something, and it continued for many, many years. Despite our misgivings towards the man's private life, he helped spawn and herald an expressive form. A form we now take for granted and largely ignore. We can't ignore its origins, and the man will be missed for this, if nothing else.

Japer on Billie Jean:


Strange, I know, but true: I got into Michael Jackson’s music about the same time I began listening to Tears for Fears. A odd marriage, that.

It was 1982 and after watching Roland Orzabal’s crazed hand gestures in the video to Mad World, I was transfixed by Jackson’s eccentrically brilliant dance moves in "Billie Jean". Wearing a striking black, form-fitted suit, every time the man took a step, the floor tile under his foot lit up with a dazzling luminosity. Immediately, it became an iconic visage. Nine years old and lost in a dream-like vista, I tried to comprehend the “girl who claims that I am the one,” understanding only the deep, mysterious groove of the song’s bass, playing as a backdrop to Jackson’s on-screen persona. For a few moments, time stood still and the only things that mattered were image and music, music and image.

Growing up, I was never an avid listener of the musician but for Michael Jackson I realize that those things, music and image and that sense of wonder I had as a child, still matter to me today. Strange, I know, but true.


Scotty G on Beat It:


I must say I was saddened by Michael Jackson’s passing. When it came to music, he was a very talented man. Love him or hate him, he influenced people, and at the end of the day, that is an important thing to achieve. It means your work meant something to someone. I was thinking of what Michael Jackson song is my favourite, and it took some time to answer the question. "Black or White" is up there because the song is just plain catchy. Take away the rap part in the middle of it, and I think it might be his best song. It’s short, it’s upbeat, and I remember it as a song from my time in Junior High School. Then I thought about when I was a kid, and I had the Thriller album on cassette [oh year – cassettes]. I was not a fan of the title track. More to the point, as a kid I was scared of the music video. Transforming into a werewolf does not go over well with young kids with overactive imaginations. But that album did have my favourite Michael Jackson song – "Beat It".

When I was listening to that cassette, I would lip-sync it, try and sing it, practice my dance moves and my moonwalk. Yes, it’s embarrassing to write this, but no one can deny who great the song "Beat It" is. When you hear the opening part of the song, you get a little excited because you know a song that you can dance too is coming on. When I got older, I heard about Eddie Van Halen’s guitar work on the song, and how it created a rift in Van Halen, and it even caused Fall Out Boy to cover the song much much later. I said at the start that Michael Jackson influenced people, and the song "Beat It" influenced me because at a very young age, I began to appreciate music. When someone makes you want to learn more about a subject, that is always a good thing, and for that simple reason, "Beat It" is my favourite Michael Jackson song. I’m not some big celebrity or pop star, I’m just an average guy, and although I may not have achieved the greatness that Michael did in his life, it does not diminish the fact that his music played a part of me growing up. So I say thanks Michael for making me discover and love music – you will be missed.

Ian Rogers on Don't Stop Till You Get Enough:


"Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" was the first Michael Jackson song I ever heard when I was a kid, and to this day it still manages to get me out on the dance floor. I still can't get enough of it.

Andy B on Wanna Be Startin' Somethin':


In August 1987 Bad hit stores. I was on a trip with my father and grandfather in Orlando, Florida. We bought the cassette there, and it hardly left the deck for the 7 days we were away. Bad wasn't as good as Thriller, though. How could it be? It's hard to choose just one defining Michael Jackson song. The man has one of the most solid hits discs you could ever ask for with HIStory (the single best of disc, not the crappy second disc of new material, though that one did have "Scream", MJ's duet with sister Janet.) For me, it has to be a toss up between "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough". Both of them are such remarkably funky tracks, exciting from the moment they start. There's not a second wasted in either of them. The little guitar licks in "Don't Stop..."; that high falsetto that carries the song. Amazing. And then "Wanna Be Startin' Something", the opening shot on the Thriller album. "Mama se mama sa mama coo sa"; it doesn't matter that I don't know what it means. It doesn't matter that he's singing "you're a vegetable". All that matters is the groove. In a career full of amazing musical highlights, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" just might be Michael Jackson's greatest moment. That and Captain EO.

Pdawg on Billie Jean:



I had the posters on my wall. I had the glove. I had the records (they were actually records back then) and I even had the red and black jacket from the "Thriller" video. In 1984 I was ten years old and there was nobody on the planet bigger than Michael Jackson. He was larger than life. A real-life superhero. He could literally float on air, take on a gang of thugs or raise the dead with his zombie powers and dance moves. Now he’s gone…but truly, he’s been gone for many years. The image on the screen in subsequent years just didn’t look or act the same. Gone were the warm, child-like eyes and kind smile. In their place, a scared, confused and increasingly introverted individual who covered-up his face and only appeared when necessary. Even the performances changed. He was never quite as confident as he was in 1984. Sad lose indeed. But not so much because the man that created some of the best pop music in the last 25 years is gone. It’s sad because we all hoped he would once again rise to the top, return to form and deliver one more magical performance, one more killer groove or just one more breathtaking move.

Favourite song would have to be "Billie Jean". The groove on that song is undeniable. From the opening snap of the snare drum and the pulsating synthesiser chords that drive the melody, the song was the backbeat and heartbeat of an entire generation. Unfortunately, that heart beats no longer. RIP.

Scotty G’s Box Office Predictions – Weekend of June 26, 2009

It’s arguably the most anticipated summer film of 2009. Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opened on Wednesday with an estimated $60.6 million dollars, making it the second largest opening day for a film EVER. So the question is, how well does it hold up over the weekend? Reviews have been terrible, with Rotten Tomatoes currently listing it at 22% positive. This will not help it over the long term, as last year's blockbuster The Dark Knight was able to have tremendous legs, because it was a very good film. Transformers: ROTF will have a large up front demand, and it shouldn’t have too much trouble crossing the $100 million barrier just on Friday-Sunday alone. Having said that, no film has ever grossed over $100 million dollars when it opened on a Wednesday. Think of this, Spider-Man 2 and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix both opened on a Wednesday and scored massive box office on their opening day, but when the Friday-Sunday came, and it was days 3, 4, and 5 of their release, the demand was not as strong as Wednesday. People want to see a mindless summer film, as the month of June has been dry of that. Transformers: RATF fills that void, and I’m predicting with its wide launch of 4,234 theatres the film will gross $115 million dollars this weekend.

The Proposal looks to have a small decline in its second weekend of release, and to be honest I think the decline will be more moderate than small. The reviews have not been great, but the one thing it has going for it is that it is really the only major date flick movie out right now. It will lose some of its audience because of Transformers: RATF, so I’m predicting a 45% drop for a gross of $18.4 million.

The Hangover continues to have strong holds every weekend, and I think it might lose a bit more than normal because of Transformers: RATF, but it will still be very strong. Dropping 32%, The Hangover should gross $18.1 million.

Up has also posted tremendous holds each weekend, and I think it will perform much like The Hangover this weekend. Dropping 35%, Up should gross $15.2 million

There is another new release opening this weekend, and it is female counter-programming to the Transformers. My Sister's Keeper is a heavy drama starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin. The commercials make you know that the females will need to bring Kleenex, as they are probably going to shed some tears. Reviews have not been that good for the film, as Rotten Tomatoes has it listed at 41% positive, and reviews make a difference for dramas. Opening in 2,606 theatres, I’m predicting My Sister's Keeper opens with $12 million.

So to recap, here are my predictions:

1) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - $115 million
2) The Proposal - $18.4 million
3) The Hangover - $18.1 million
4) Up - $15.2 million
5) My Sister’s Keeper - $12 million

Check back on Sunday to see how I did!

Trailer Time: The Box

One of my favourite films of the past decade is director Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko. The performances are soild, the story, featuring time travel and a very scary rabbit, was original and compelling, the soundtrack of 80's music always gets my heart jumping and my toes tapping. Even though the movie received a limited box office release (thanks in no small part to 9/11 and the films use of a plane crash), Donnie Darko has built up a huge following thanks to the DVD.

Kelly's second film was the much maligned Southland Tales. Having watched it recently on DVD, it deserves its reputation. It's quite possibly one of the worst film I've seen (though Justin Timberlake's Killers lyp sync does save it from being a total wash). In my book, Richard Kelly is 50/50 with his cinematic endeavours, which means his next film, The Box, is going to break the tie one way or the other.


Based on a short sotry by Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) and adapted to television for the 1980's version of The Twillight Zone, the trailer for The Box is fairly self explanatory, with married couple James Marsden and Cameron Diaz faced with an uncomfortable choice to make. The trailer leaves me with a very Eyes Wide Shut vibe to it, except with no sex and southern accents.

Check it out below. The Box hits theaters October 30th.

Better Than The First - Andy B On Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

Last night I did a strange thing. I went to the midnight screening of Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen. Strange, because I hated the orignal film. Hatred is not too strong a sentiment, either. The novelty of watching the robots transform didn't last long for me, and while it was cool seeing Optimus Prime on the big screen, I found the original film's story horrible, the performances atrocious, and the actual look of the movie hard to bear, especially with the quick editing that never allowed us to feel the Autobots and Decepticons were anything more than CGI creations.

So colour me pretty surprised when I actually found myself enjoying Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen.

Director Michael Bay must have taken the problematic editing of the first film into consideration, because this time around I could actually appreciate the machine to machine combat throughout the movie. Rather than quick cuts, battles seem to just move more fluidly than in the previous film. There are some great action sequences; how could there not be, right? This is a Michael Bay movie. Storywise, we're dealing with the ressurection of Megatron, the death of a core character, and the revelation that the Transformers had been on Earth long before anyone suspected. It's all fairly simple, and considering that it was written by Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the men behind the script for this year's spectacular Star Trek reboot, I can't help feeling like it could have been better, bolder. But while the end was never really in doubt, I still found myself having fun with the film.

I typically don't enjoy Shia LaBeouf, but he was certainly more entertaining as Sam in Revenge Of The Fallen than he was in either the last Transformers film or Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. Megan Fox? Well, she literally had nothing to do except stand around at have Michael Bay shoot her in a variety of poses, a job well done. In a film where acting is secondary to effects, the one returning character who totally stole the show for me was Julie White as Sam's mom. White has a few moments early on in the film where she is absolutely hillarious. In fact, humour is one thing that Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen actually has going for it in abundance. I didn't think I would be laughing throughout the film nearly as much as I was.

How you respond to this latest entry into the Transformers world, however, may correlate directly with how you feel generally about the franchise. As someone who grew up watching the animated series, I still got a kick out of the subtle issues between Megatron and Starscream. I thought it was very cool that Soundwave's voice was voiced by Frank Welker, who originally voiced the character in the tv show. And there were cheers in the theater I was in when Optimus Prime, voiced by Pter Cullen, another original voice actor, said his tag line "roll out".

Ultimately, Revenge Of The Fallen is far better than I expected it to be, especially considering how much of a hate on I had for the original Transformers film. And while the movie may be totally predictable and lacking any form of substance, it still managed to keep me awake and entertained for two and a half hours in the middle of the night.

That's something, right?

Now the next question is, how will another Hasbro toy property, G.I. Joe, fair this summer? Will it beat the Transformers or get crushed in the robot onslaught? Let us know what you think by voting in our Biff Bam Pop poll!

DVD Tuesday With Scotty G

Not a very strong week for new releases, but we have some hidden gems coming out today.


Waltz with Bashir – This film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language film, and appeared on many critics Top 10 lists. The film is animated, but do not let that fool you, as it deals with heavy subject matter. Waltz With Bashir deals with a man trying to reconstruct his memories of the first Lebanon War by interviewing friends and colleagues from that time to hopefully spark his memory. It’s an interesting premise, and should be worth checking out.


Inkheart – Brandon Fraser’s latest was nowhere near as a big a hit as Journey to the Center of the Earth or The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. The basic plot is that there is a magic book that bad people get a hold of, and the good people have to get it back to restore order. I’ll admit that the previous sentence might be the worst summary of a film that I have ever written. It is essentially a poor man’s Harry Potter tale.



Confessions of a Shopaholic – Isla Fisher was supposed to be a breakout star with this film, but unfortunately it did not quite turn out that way. This Jerry Bruckheimer produced film did all right at the box office, but not great. The basic premise is a shopaholic has to curb her spending habits, and hilarity ensues. This summary might be the second worst I have ever written. If you like films where you can figure out the plot 10 minutes in, this might be the film for you. If not, then avoid it.


The Pink Panther 2 – The first film did all right, but a sequel was not necessary. I’m not the only who thinks this, because when this film opened in theatres, it died a horrible death. I like Steve Martin so I will be checking this out because of that, but if you’re not a fan, I don’t know why you would want to watch this.


Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection – Chuck Jones was a legendary animator from Warner Bros. He was part of the famous gang at Termite Terrace who made some of the most memorable Looney Tunes in history. He eventually made his way to MGM to put his own spin on the Tom and Jerry cartoons, and this collection represents what he did. I am a big fan of animation, and even though I’m not the biggest Tom and Jerry fan, I still want to check this out.


My Dinner with Andre – One of the most talked about art-house films when it came out, the entire film deals with two people talking over dinner at a restaurant. Louis Malle directed this classic, and it is one of those films that will either intrigue you in the first 10 minutes and you’ll keep watching, or you’ll think it is a waste of time because you don’t care what the characters are talking about. Most people find it intriguing, and if you haven’t seen, it’s worth picking up.

Until Next Tuesday!

Biff Bam Video: Buffy Summers Vs Edward Cullen

For the vampire lovers out there, this is essential viewing. I figured it's worth posting, if only to recall the brilliance that was Buffy The Vampire Slayer!

Biff Bam Pop Exclusive: Andy B Talks to Brian Cronin, Author of Was Superman A Spy?...And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed

True or false? Fact or fiction? That’s what author Brian Cronin uncovers about some of the comic industry's tall tales in his new book Was Superman A Spy?...And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed (Plume). Combining the best of revelations from Comics Should Be Good, Cronin’s online column at Comic Book Resources, along with material written exclusively for the book, Was Superman A Spy?... is one of the most entertaining reads on the industry in years. I recently had the chance to interview Brian Cronin via email regarding the genesis of his new book, the writing and researching process that went into it, DC vs Marvel, and more.


Andy B: Thanks for taking the time to talk to Biff Bam Pop! How did your interest in uncovering the urban legends of comic books begin?

Brian Cronin: I have always been interested in the various odd stories and anecdotes of the comic book world, but it was, of course, me falling for an urban legend myself that jump started the column. While I was writing a piece for Comics Should Be Good, I made reference to an old story involving Walt Simonson. Walt was good enough to drop me a line to note that said story was not true. He found it amusing, though, that he had his own “urban legend.” That made me realize, “Hey, there are tons of these stories out there – a column about them would be pretty cool!”

Andy B: How much research was already completed thanks to your column at Comic Book Resources when you started working on Was Superman A Spy?..., and how much was done solely for the purpose of content for the book?

Brian Cronin: Half of the content for the book was brand new. So 65 legends. Of the 65 legends in the book that I already featured, though, I did do some extra research just to update them since the time they were originally posted (which was years in the case of some of the legends).

Andy B: Tell me about the writing process – how did you go about determining which urban legends to investigate? Once you had your topic, what came next?

Brian Cronin: When I first began the column, I literally had a tiny little notebook that I had brought to a legal lecture the year prior, and I just jotted down as many rumors and legends that I had heard over the years. I then set out to prove them true or false, choosing three at a time. That, of course, ran out pretty quickly, but luckily, soon I had people sending in legend suggestions. So typically I’ll start with the suggestion (whether I come up with or if a reader sends it in), find out fairly quickly if I could make a definitive answer and then go to the next legend. Once I have three (two true, one false) I sit down and actually write them.

Andy B: As you were doing research for both your column and Was Superman A Spy?..., did you come across any revelations about the characters or the industry itself that surprised you?

Brian Cronin: Usually, the things that would surprise me the most were not the stuff that was TRUE, but rather, the stuff that I always figured was true but wasn’t. Stuff like the real reason behind Batman’s yellow insignia, for instance.

Andy B: As a bit of a Spider-Man fanatic, I found the stories behind his creation and the issues between Steve Ditko and Stan Lee fascinating. Did you consider contacting either of them to get clarity on the issues between the two regarding the character and why Ditko left the book?

Brian Cronin: Not really, because a) Ditko doesn’t like interviews and B) Stan Lee just can’t really be relied on for information.


Andy B: You give both DC and Marvel equal time in Was Superman A Spy?..., but I’m wondering which of the big two companies have you found yourself gravitating to over the years most?

Brian Cronin: It’s actually reeeeeeeeeally close between the two big companies in the legends, but I’d say Marvel has a lead overall. I’d say that typically comes from the fact that they tend to have more notable characters. D.C.’s big two characters, Superman and Batman, have more legends than anyone else, but Marvel has more characters who have legends period – Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Captain America, Hulk, the X-Men, Daredevil, Iron Man, Thor, etc.

Andy B: Along with the two sites where people can find you online –Comics Should Be Good at Comic Book Resources and Legends Revealed.com, you’re also practicing attorney. Are there any similarities between the world of law and the world of comics?

Brian Cronin: I originally pursued law because I thought it merged my two major interests (and my dual majors in college), English and History. The law required an ability to be able to communicate yourself (English) but also a heavy dose of research (History). And that’s exactly what the column requires, as well – a lot of research but also the ability to communicate that information. Now, if I knew that at the time that you could make money researching and writing about comics….


Andy B: What are you reading right now that you think Biff Bam Pop! readers should be checking out?

Brian Cronin: I really enjoyed the latest Seaguy mini-series. Batman and Robin #1 was great. Scalped is consistently excellent. Incognito by Brubaker and Phillips is just as good as their Criminal series, and that’s saying a lot. Tales Designed to Thrizzle is amazing. Daredevil: Noir is surprisingly good. And you can always read more Achewood!

Andy B: Can we expect a sequel to Was Superman A Spy?...And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed?

Brian Cronin: I’d love to do one if the opportunity ever arose!

Was Superman A Spy?...And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed by Brian Cronin is published by Plume and in stores now. Thanks to Brian Cronin for his time.

Scotty G’s Box Office Wrap-Up

A pretty decent weekend of predictions from me at the box office. I correctly guessed what the five films would be [unfortunately not in order as I was wrong about the #2 and #3 films], and the most I was off in my predictions was by $7.1 million. So here’s what happened:

The Proposal had a very strong opening landing in the #1 spot with $34.1 million [I was off $7.1 million in my prediction]. It had the strongest per theatre average in the top 10 with $11,163, and it had two leads that do their best work in romantic comedies. Sandra Bullock proved she can still be in a popular film if the material fits her [Note to Sandra – Continue to do romantic comedies and stay away from films like Premonition and Murder By Numbers]. Ryan Reynolds is beginning to cement his leading man status, as the opening of The Proposal is much better than his previous romantic comedy film Definitely, Maybe. That film took in $32.2 million its entire run! Everyone has to be happy with The Proposal’s opening because the budget it rumoured to be around $40 million, so it is a profitable venture. We’ll see how it holds up in its second week and if it will have some staying power.

The comedy hit of 2009 continued to show incredible legs at the box office. The Hangover grossed $26.8 million, and had its smallest weekend to weekend drop by being off only 18.1% from last weekend [I predicted it would be the #3 film, and I was off by $4 million in my prediction]. With this weekend’s gross, it has become the highest grossing comedy of 2009 as its total gross stands at $152.9 million. The previous champion, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, had a total gross of $146.3 million. I cannot recall the last time a film in the top 5 had a drop of less than 20%. The Hangover will break $200 million and will be one of the top films of the summer. I don’t think anyone would have predicted that at the start of the year.

Up also had a great hold, dropping only 30.6% to gross $21.3 million [I predicted it would be the #2 film and was off $1.7 million in my prediction]. Up is the second highest grossing film of 2009with a total of $224.1 million and i s close to being the #1 film of 2009, as Star Trek’s total gross is $239.4 million. Up shows again what great word of mouth can do for a film. The premise was interesting, but I didn’t know if it would appeal to a broad audience. Clearly people have embraced the story of Up , and it will be one of Pixar’s biggest hits. I don’t think it will get to $300 million, but it will be close.

Opening in 4th place is Year One with $20.2 million [I was off by $4.8 million in my prediction]. I think people will consider the opening disappointing considering it is an Apatow film and it is in the #4 spot. It’s per theatre average was $6,684, which is all right. It also is the 4th film this weekend that grossed over $20 million. Unfortunately, I do not see a lot of staying power for this film, and I would expect a big drop next weekend.

Dropping to 5th place is The Taking of Pelham 123 with a gross of $11.3 million, down 51.7% from last weekend [I was off $0.9 million in my prediction]. A drop this big shows that word of mouth is not high on this film, and it will be out of the Top 5 next weekend, and on DVD shelves soon.

So to recap, here are my predictions:

1) The Proposal - $27 million
2) Up - $23 million
3) The Hangover - $22.8 million
4) Year One - $15 million
5) The Taking of Pelham 123 - $10.4 million

And here are the final numbers:

1) The Proposal - $34.1 million
2) The Hangover - $26.8 million
3) Up - $21.3 million
4) Year One - $20.2 million
5) The Taking of Pelham 123 - $11.3 million

Next weekend brings us one of the most anticipated films of 2009 – Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Check back next week for my predictions!

Tales from the Long Box Vol. 2 # 2: Japer Revisits G.I. Joe And The Transformers # 1

Every weekend this summer, we’ll be bringing you a new installment of a 12-part series of reviews of meaningful comics found in the collections of our writers. “Long Box” refers to the lengthy, white cardboard boxes most comics find themselves stored within - bagged, alphabetized and numerically ordered.

These reviews, then, are the tales of those collections: illuminating characters, artists, writers - even eras - in addition to the personalities of the very owners of those fine collections.










G.I. Joe and the Transformers # 1
Writer: Michael Higgins
Artists: Herb Trimpe, Vince Collettea
Marvel Comics



Like any other collector of comic books, every now and then I like to sit down beside my collection and simply contemplate its grandeur. In my twenty five years collecting, I’ve amassed quite a number of extraordinary titles, many of which I share in this Tales from the Long Box column.

Sometimes, on lazy, rainy Saturday mornings, I’ll pull out the thirteen (and growing) alphabetized and numerically ordained white cardboard long boxes, gaze at them with a cup of coffee or a glass of orange juice in my hand and start to thumb through the various titles, pulling out particular issues of fancy, studying the covers and, sometimes, actually opening the sealed plastic bags and rereading an issue of Batman from the 1960’s or a Green Lantern from the 1970’s or an Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld from the 1980’s. Sacrilege, I know. But it’s my collection and although I may be precious about it, it’s not so precious that it holds sway over my full enjoyment of it. I’m careful, of course, to keep that cup of coffee or that glass of orange juice a good fifteen feet away from my precious.

I’ve accumulated a great number of titles in my time – each one of them a veritable jewel in the long box crown. Most I’ve bought. Some were gifts. A few were even traded for, back when I was much younger. As kids, we used to do such things in my neighbourhood, after picking up a Scalphunter at the local smoke shop - once we finished reading it, of course. Collecting comics wasn’t such a Howard Hughes delirium back then. It was a simpler time.

My exquisite taste in periodicals was just forming in those early days, but I was still able to trade unfunny Cracked magazines for now classic issues of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil. Quite the coup, if I do say so myself.

It makes me wonder, then, how something as simple, as childish, as poor quality as G.I. Joe and the Transformers #1 ever made it into my long box collection. It wasn’t bought. It wasn’t given. And it certainly wasn’t traded for.

Really, for all intensive purposes, my acquisition of this comic is a complete mystery. With the impending movies this summer to both sets of properties, I thought it might be interesting to flip though this issue’s pages and discover what it was all about.

The story is quite simple. In a nutshell, Cobra seeks to take position of a solar-nuclear hybrid-power device which the forces of G.I. Joe are protecting. Optimus Prime, leader of the good natured Autobots, working on a hunch, wants to ensure the device does not fall into the hands of the evil Decepticons. Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, notices the Autobot interest in the technology and, thusly, attempts to steal it for himself. Battle ensues.

The story itself would have been stronger had hilarity taken precedence over gun play.

The script is a light white-wash of drama. Other than reading the names of your favourite characters such as General Hawk and Bumblebee and seeing their crude likeness drawn in a comic frame, there’s not much to keep the interest of the reader. Indeed, I only have the first issue of this four-issue mini-series in my collection. There may be mystery as to its appearance, but it’s no mystery as to why issues two through four are missing.

G.I. Joe and the Transformers came out in early 1987. You could say that the two franchises had reached their height in popularity. The Transformers animated movie had just been released and Marvel’s fondly-remember G.I. Joe comic book series was in its fifth year of publication. Undoubtedly, there was an appetite from comicdom, but I’ll argue that the appetite for these two toy franchises was now at its zenith. These cross-pollinations tend to appear either at the height of awareness as a means to lure more money out of the pockets of collectors, or are a marketing ploy to garner interest in a slumbering product or a signal to stir up a waning interest.

Not much effort was put into any part, story or art, of G.I. Joe and the Transformers and I wonder if this summer’s two impending films that carry the same names will have much more artistic vigor attached to them.

I do know that I had much more vivid storytelling sessions, acting out scenarios with my collection of various G.I. and Transformer toys when I was a child. Rarely, if ever, did the two franchises commingle. Evan as a young boy, I knew that both universes were meant to be distinct from one another and that they should never, ever meet. The toys, looking back, were simple objects that compelled a child’s imagination to create story. The cartoons were devices that allowed for an expansion of that universe. The comics, I found, only occasionally aided this growth, however, the G.I. Joe series, published by Marvel, admittedly ran for over twelve years. The creators were doing something right on that title.

Truth be told, I’m not certain what the writer and artist of G.I. Joe and the Transformers went on to accomplish after the four issue series ended. I know I haven’t come across their names since, although, for some reason, Herb Trimpe rings an odd bell.

Perhaps he’s in my memory the same way his comic is in my collection.

It’s currently raining on a lazy Saturday morning in Toronto. I’ve got my cup of coffee in hand. Perhaps I’ll take a peek inside the long boxes once more and see what else surprises me.

(Editor-In-Chief’s Note: Clearly that cup o’ joe wasn’t strong enough for Japer, seeing as how he drew a blank on Marvel mainstay Herb Trimpe, who did a legendary run on The Incredible Hulk in the early 70’s and helped launch the G.I. Joe comic series in the 80’s. I guess that’s what you get for living in the world of the Distinguished Competition.)

Scotty G’s Box Office Predictions – Weekend of Friday June 19th

Two new releases open at the box office this weekend, and it will be interesting to see if either of them are able to dethrone the current champion The Hangover, or if they are able to beat two time runner-up Up.

Year One is the first new release of the weekend starring Jack Black and Michael Cera. Directed by Harold Ramis and produced by Judd Apatow, the film follows the story of two losers back in the year one. Reviews have been less than kind, with the script being criticized the most for its very lame jokes. So with the reviews being poor, the power of Jack Black and Michael Cera’s star power will be put to the test. Jack Black’s highest grossing live action film is 2003’s School of Rock, which grossed $81.2 million, and his second higest is 2006’s Nacho Libre, which grossed $80.1 million. Black's highest grossing film where he is the lead is Kung Fu Panda, which grossed $215 million, while the highest grossing film he has appeared in is King Kong with $218 million in total gross. Year One should not reach those numbers. Opening in 3,022 theatres, I expect Year One to gross $15 million.

Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock star in The Proposal. The trailer sums this film up very well. Sandra Bullock is a Canadian who is working in the U.S.A. She is about to be deported, but when she finds out, she says she is going to marry her co-worker, who despises her. She goes with him to visit his parents in Alaska, and you should be able to figure out the rest from there. Reynolds and Bullock have more star power than Black and Cera, so it should have a better opening. Plus it’s a date film, and with Ghosts of Girlfriends Past finishing up its run, it does not have any real competition. It’s the only film in the marketplace of its kind, it has a generic premise that should appeal to mass audiences, and reviews have been mixed, which is not a huge factor for date films. Opening in 3,056 theatres, I expect The Proposal to gross $27 million.

The Hangover looks to hold on to the top spot, but it will be hard pressed to beat The Proposal. The film has posted incredible holds in its two weekends of release, and I expect another spectacular hold, as I predict it will only drop 30% from last weekend for a gross of $22.8 million.

Up has a very good shot of spending its third week in the runner-up spot, and I’m predicting it will. It crossed the $200 million mark on Thursday and is the second highest grossing film of 2009 behind Star Trek. It is still in the most theatres of all the films this weekend (3,832), word of mouth is incredible, and it is arguably the best film of 2009 [so far]. I’m predicting it will drop 25% for a gross of $23 million.

The Taking of Pelham 123 had a decent debut last weekend, but the buzz has faded on the movie, and it will look to play out its run. I do not expect a strong hold for this film, and I am predicting a drop of 55% for a gross of $10.4 million.

So to recap, here are my predictions:

1) The Proposal - $27 million
2) Up - $23 million
3) The Hangover - $22.8 million
4) Year One - $15 million
5) The Taking of Pelham 123 - $10.4 million

Check back on Sunday to see how I did!

Trailer Time: Zombieland

We love zombies at Biff Bam Pop! No doubt about it. Which means there's nothing more exciting than news of a few new zombie films on the way. Currently in the works is George A. Romero's untitled 6th zombie film (though there's the talk that it will be called Island of the Dead since it is supposed to take place...on an island). There's also Zombieland, which is due out October 9th and takes place in a post-Apocalyptic America overrun by the undead. Check out the trailer below, won't you?



Zombieland is written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who also created Spike TV's The Joe Schmo Show, one of the funniest and sweetest reality programs I've ever watched. Clearly, the makers of Zombieland are playing this one for laughs, which may or may not work. Remember, one of the greatest zombie films of all time, Shaun Of The Dead, was the perfect combination of comedy and horror. But you also had three contemporary comic geniuses in Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright behind it. What Zombieland does have going for it is the presence of Woody Harrelson. Has any other talented actor been less utilized this decade than Harrelson? Put him in the right role, like in Natural Born Killers or The People Vs Larry Flynt, and he's as good a leading man as you could ask for. Woody looks pumped and ready to go in Zombieland, though I'm sure none of us will be terribly surprised to see him undead by film's end. Another plus for the film, or at least the trailer - the use of Van Halen's "Everybody Wants Some". There's one song that hasn't been overused in any films, and has the tribal drums that just scream edginess. Good call on whoever chose the trailer music.

Zombieland looks like it will be going the fast/running zombie route, which is fine by me, though I've always been one for the slower, Romero take on the undead. At the end of the day, I'm just happy to see another zombie film coming to theaters, even as I continue the long wait for the announcement of 28 Months Later. Come on Danny Boyle - you've got your Oscar, now give us more British zombies!

Lazy Sunday: Andy B On Sunday Morning Albums

With the stresses of everyday life throwing me a football in the groin the last few weeks, I've been under strict orders to chill out. More than one person has given me that piece of advice, and so over the past weekend I figured I'd try adhering to it.

Sunday was my day to do it. With the Queen off at work for the majority of the day, I was left to my own devices. The first order of business was book reading. The novel in question was Charlie Huston's novel, The Shotgun Rule (for those of you not familiar with Huston, he's the author of the Joe Pitt Casefiles, the Hank Thompson Trilogy, and the resurrected Moon Knight comic series). So I had the book; the next thing I needed was the soundtrack. After a quick perusal of my cd collection (which I now easily admit to being far too large; I keep talking about a garage sale and I think I mean it), I grabbed the debut album from Fleet Foxes, which was a Christmas present from my friend known as The House That Rock Built. While I've had the album on my iPod for months, I had never actually spun the cd until this Sunday morning, which means that in my world I'd never really given it a real listen. I can't believe I'd waited this long.

I finally heard what all the critics were talking about in their constant raving about Fleet Foxes. The overdubbed vocals, the orchestration. It was the sound of mellow and happiness and today, all combined in one, 39 minute album that I could just chill out to.

In the debut album from Fleet Foxes, I'd found another quintessential Sunday morning record. Some albums are just made for the breakfast/brunch hours on the day the Lord rested. Now, everyone's ears have different requirements for that time of the day, but I bet you've got some cds/vinyl/8-tracks that fit that time. For me, there's a few albums that I think of when it comes to Sunday mornings:

The Doors - Self-Titled Debut Album
The Velvet Underground and Nico - Self-Titled Debut Album
The Velvet Underground - Loaded
Neil Young - Harvest
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

It's quite clear that these albums are from a fairly specific era, but they're the ones that I feel make the perfect Sunday morning soundtrack. You might be surprised to find The Doors 1967 debut on my list, but to me that album feels like the morning after. The morning after what, you may ask? I couldn't tell you, but that's the vibe I get when I listen to it. It's as close to a perfect debut as you're going to find out there, and it sounds so sweet when you're trying to get your day started.


Neil Young's Harvest is a little bit more of an obvious Sunday morning treat. It was Neil's big breakthrough back in 1972, the one that has "Heart Of Gold", "Old Man", "The Needle and The Damage Done". Harvest was the album that made him into an icon, the guy that kid's parents started listening to, which was never cool. It was the album that's success inspired Neil to, as he put it, go into "the ditch" rather than continue on as a radio friendly superstar. Of course, none of this backstory really makes a difference once the music is playing. Put on Harvest in Surround Sound (a DVD-Audio version was released a few years ago) and it feels like you're in the room with Neil and his backing band, the Stray Gators. Sunday morning, the band playing just for you. The opening song, "Out On The Weekend":

Out On The Weekend (Young)

Think Ill pack it in and buy a pick-up
Take it down to L.A.
Find a place to call my own and try to fix up.
Start a brand new day.

The woman I'm thinking of, she loved me all up
But I'm
So down today
Shes so fine, shes in my mind.
I hear her callin.

See the lonely boy, out on the weekend
Trying to make it pay.
Can't relate to joy, he tries to speak and
Can't begin to say.

She got pictures on the wall, they make me look up
From her big brass bed.
Now I'm running down the road trying to stay up
Somewhere in her head.

The woman I'm thinking of, she loved me all up
But I'm so down today
She's so fine she's in my mind.
I hear her callin.

See the lonely boy, out on the weekend
Trying to make it pay.
Can't relate to joy, he tries to speak and
Can't begin to say.



Country rock. Alt-rock. Folk-rock. I don't think there's any accurate way to categorize Harvest. But whatever it is, the album takes on more resonance, more feeling, when I've got in turned on in those early morning hours.

Are we more introspective on Sunday mornings? Is there more to think about? Maybe. Maybe because the world is supposed to be in church, but more people than not are just getting going. Recovering. Wondering what it was they did last night. Why they did it. Wondering what today, Sunday, will hold.


The debut album from the Velvet Underground And Nico actually opens with a song called "Sunday Morning". On an album produced on a dime, this was the one song that was tailor-made to be radio friendly. Didn't work, but they tried. And while you may think its paranoid production and lyrics wouldn't fit your morning, believe me, my friend, when I tell you that it would indeed.

Sunday Morning(Reed, Cale)

Sunday morning
Brings the dawn in
It's just a restless feeling by my side
Early dawning
Sunday morning
It's just the wasted years so close behind
Watch out the world's behind you
There's always someone around you who will call
It's nothing at all


Sunday morning
And I'm falling
I've got a feeling I don't want to know
Early dawning
Sunday morning
It's all the streets you crossed, not so long ago
Watch out the world's behind you
There's always someone around you who will call
It's nothing at all


Sunday morning
Sunday morning
Sunday morning



Listen to the way Nico does her "la-la-la's" in the background. Could she be any less committed? Did she even have a clue? Doesn't matter, does it? It just sounds right. It sounds like Sunday morning.

And so that was my morning. Finding music that fit the mood, that fit the moment. This past weekend, it was Fleet Foxes. It was a good discovery, and one that finds itself in some solid company. And I haven't even told you what my Sunday afternoon listening selection consisted off. Another time.

DVD Tuesday With Scotty G

Not a bad week on the DVD front. Here’s what we got:


Friday the 13th – This remake/reboot of the classic horror franchise had a very strong opening weekend, but faded very quickly. There’s not much to say about these type of films – you either like them or you don’t. Will there be violence – Check. Nudity – Check. Blood and gore – check! If you’re into those type of things, then this film is for you. If not then you should skip this one.


One Week – One of the better Canadian films of recent years, One Week stars Joshua Jackson as a man who find out that he is dying, and decides to go on a cross Canada motorcycle trip before he goes in for treatment. The performances are decent, but the real star is the scenery. It’s worth checking out to see all the different locations. The film also has some cameo appearances by some famous Canadians, and I won’t say who they are because it’s a nice surprise to see them when they appear.


Family Guy: Volume 7 – It’s nice to see that Volume 7 is out on DVD. Think about the fact that this was a show that was cancelled at one point, but has developed a very loyal following. Although it has taken a beating in recent years by people [namely South Park, who were bang on in their parody of the show], Family Guy still makes me laugh. If you like random references included in your TV show, then you have to pick this up!


Transformers: The Complete First Season – It’s the 25th anniversary of the famous TV cartoon, but more importantly, it is a cash-in for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen coming to theatres. Follow the adventures of Optimus Prime and the Autobots as they take on their arch nemesis Megatron and the Decepticons. Although I was a fan of the show when I was a kid, I watched the animated movie recently, and it did not hold up as well now as it did in my memory! For serious fans only.
Until Next Week

Biff Bam Pop Exclusive - Death, Jean, and Possibilities: Part 2 of Andy B's Talk with X-Men Forever's Chris Claremont

In Part 1 of Biff Bam Pop!'s exclusive conversation with legendary X-Men scribe Chris Claremont, we talked about how the new series X-Men Forever came to be and what Claremont's intentions with the series are. You can check it out here. And now, on to Part 2.

Andy B: In returning to the X-Men, are any of the plot points you’ve got planned for X-Men Forever ones you had prior to leaving after X-Men #3?

Chris Claremont: Some of them were concepts and ideas that I had at the time. Others are concepts and ideas that have grown up since then. And some were thoughts that were set aside because the reality of an ongoing title that is part of a whole host of related titles limits the amount of flexibility you have. If for nothing else, the events of the Alpha book and the first arc, with respect to one of the core characters of the X-Men mythology, represents something we wouldn’t even consider trying in Uncanny, and when I pitched the idea it was rejected simple because it would require taking a character offstage for over a year as a setup, and when that character is part of four other titles, including his own, that just wasn’t considered viable. Here though, it’s not only viable, we can not only make it for real, we can make it permanent.

Andy B: Which makes me wonder, how permanent will death be in X-Men Forever?

Chris Claremont: Death is death. You don’t get better. The exception that proves the rule is Jean. That’s in part why we have Sabretooth as an ongoing character in the series, because his reason for being there is to find out who killed his son, and to deal with it.


Andy B: You mentioned Jean, and I wanted to ask you about the opening of X-Men Forever. Just that first page, it was pretty dramatic…

Chris Claremont: It’s pretty primal, and pretty darn good looking.

Andy B: What is it about the relationship between Logan and Jean that appeals to you as a writer?

Chris Claremont: What appealed to me is that you couldn’t take it for granted. The whole point of Jean dying in the first place was that Jim Shooter gave us the opportunity to demonstrate that there were realities to the X-Men’s life that did not apply, it seemed, to other titles. Things happened that were not miraculously fixed, and the lives they lived had an inherent danger to them. You could not go out and expect that everyone would come home again and that fifteen issues from now everything would be back to normal and yadda yadda yadda we would pick up and go on. The whole point of Jean, and perhaps because it was a unexpected last minute “you’ve got to do something” decision that was as shocking and fundamental to the creators as it was to the characters, it all sort of catalyzed in the presentation and the evocation and evolution of it over a period of issues to be a very personal and primal event. And it stuck. It felt right. When Weezy (Louise Simonson) and I talked about, I know John (Byrne) wasn’t as happy about it (Jean’s death), none of us were happy about it, but the longer I was with it, it felt right. And the opportunities it opened up for the characters and the series after that, it was a natural, ongoing progression.


I think that the opportunity that we’ve been given with X-Men Forever is to revisit that moment in the X-Men’s lives and say, even more so with the character that it happens to this time, there are no miraculous resurrections. If it can happen to him, it can happen to any of us, and you have to face the reality that we are, for all our dreams, mortal and we’ve got to live with it. We’ve got to face that reality and find a way to progress. Jean may be the exception that proves the rule, but the heartbreak for her is that in the back of her mind was the thought that “if I really am Phoenix and I’m going to be stuck here until the end of time, at least I know this man I love will be along with me until the end.” And now he’s not there, and she has to face the fact that she’s going to be alone. That Scott is mortal. That Charlie is mortal. That everyone around her is mortal and she may not be. What does that mean for her in 100 years or 1000 years or 1 million years or a billion years. How can she deal with that? Suddenly that’s a whole, different scary thing.

The thing is, she and Scott have come to a specific point in their relationship. So what does that do for Scott? What does it do for Hank? We’ve brought these characters into a situation where Kitty and Kurt have been with Excalibur, they’ve come back to the X-Men. Now she (Kitty) meets someone like Gambit. Is there a possibility there?

Andy B: It’s all these amazing possibilities now.

Chris Claremont: Well that’s it. It’s all these amazing possibilities that have never been considered, much less explored. Everyone assumes that Gambit will get together with Rogue. Well, maybe Rogue’s not interested. Maybe Gambit’s eye is caught by someone else. This is a Rogue that’s still dealing with the loss of Magneto. Does she want to get involved with anyone in the X-Men? Who knows how this all mixes together.


Andy B: It sounds like, with all these ideas, that you plan to stick with it for a long time, hopefully.

Chris Claremont: It’s the same rule as last time. I’d like to stick with this as long as we have an audience. The hope is to build an audience that will grow from issue to issue, from arc to arc. The nice thing is that with Tom Grummett we have as a good a foundation penciller as any writer could wish for. The disadvantage is that he can’t do 26 issues a year. So we’ve got twelve to fifteen in his pocket. On the other hand, we’ve got Paul Smith and Terry Austin doing an arc that picks up with Issue 6. We have feelers out to a number of top notch artists who might not be the “A” list of people in the 21st century but, you know, we’ve got some classic surprises going on here. Imagine an arc by Mike Grell. That could be fun.

So we would like to think that what we’re going to come up with here is a series of surprises, one after the other. And the thing about Forever is that you really can’t take things for granted, because we don’t have to worry about sustaining a franchise. We can play, on a lot more primal a level then other titles might feel they’re able to.

Coming up in part 3 of our conversation with Chris Claremont: The Beyonder, cosmic thoughts, and subtlety in comics. Thanks to Beth Fleisher for her assistance and Chris Claremont for his time.